Cattle Valley: Vol 3

Sam Brown and Isaac Singer have been a couple for over twenty-five years. As young doctors fresh out of school, they moved to Cattle Valley and started a Medical Clinic. When they opened their practice to include physical therapist Matt Jeffries, they never dreamed they would be opening their hearts, bed and relationship to him as well. Matt Jeffries had not been home from serving in Iraq for very long before taking the job to move to Cattle Valley. Meeting Isaac and Sam, he never expected the strong attraction he felt for the two men, and never in his wildest dream did he expect them to feel the same way about him. But before Matt could allow himself to even imagine a future with the two doctors he has to come to terms with his past and all that he lost in Iraq. Physical Therapy is the fifth installment in the Cattle Valley series and I felt it disappoints in the romance department. I thought the side story of Matt dealing with tragic events and memories that plague him from his tour in Iraq was interesting and emotionally moving, but the threesome of Sam, Isaac and Matt was definitely lacking. It came across as more of a friendly companionship, or a convenience more than romantic. This could be because Isaac and Sam were older, but then that has me wondering if this relationship will be enough for Matt. This is my least favorite of the series but as a follower of the series I suggest reading Physical Therapy as a segue to the next installment. Shep is having trouble keeping his feelings in check for Jeremy, a cowboy working on his ranch. Jeremy is off limits for many reasons, first he is way too young for Shep and secondly he's Shep's best friend's son. When Jeremy makes his feeling known for Shep, all reasons to stay away are not strong enough to deter the passion and desire Shep feels for Jeremy. Jeremy has wanted Shep since he was teenager, asking Shep to help him train for the Cattle Valley rodeo leads to opportunity for Jeremy to finally let Shep know how he feels. Out of the Shadows is a good even keel story. I didn't feel there were any real surprises and I found the story to be very anticlimactic, but it's still a sweet enjoyable story. It set up some great foundations for upcoming stories in this series. Followers of this series will enjoy Out of the Shadows and the sweet relationship between Shep and Jeremy. This is definitely one of my guilty pleasures and I look forward to more to come. Ley Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS. Rating: 7/10 PROS: - Lynne's writing is improving with each Cattle Valley volume. There are some explorations of characters' internal battles, especially in the first story of this installment, that go much deeper than in previous volumes. - The sex scenes here, as in the earlier volumes of the series, are fairly frequent and not all that detailed. However, Lynne does show some restraint and make the characters wait a little longer (well, okay, about 10 pages longer) in these stories before they jump into bed together. - The town of Cattle Valley is a nice little place that I wish really existed. The good guys are sweet and the bad guys don't stick around for long. - May-December romances aren't my favorite, because the characters always seem to react in one of two ways: either they ignore the age difference and don't consider the problems it might cause down the line, or they're hyper-aware of the age difference and allow it to cause relationship problems. Neither of those is true in these stories. The difference in the first story is 20 and 25 years (it's a threesome) and in the second story it's 17 years, but the characters all acknowledge the issue, talk about it, and then move on. CONS: - This is the first of the CV stories that isn't 90% giddiness and roses; the first story here is actually pretty sad throughout. The sadness doesn't have much to do with the romance, and the story still has a happy ending, but one of the characters goes through quite the depressing journey before the story ends. - There are moments when the number of characters gets a little overwhelming. Usually a story has the two or three main characters and introduces a few new ones who will appear in later volumes, but we're getting far enough into the series now that there are quite a few characters from earlier stories popping in and out too. - Everything in the stories still feels rushed. The characters admit their feelings, have sex, fall in love, fight, make up, and move in together in quick succession, often without a lot of conversation thrown in to explain the transitions from one phase to the next. - It's John DEERE, not Deer! Overall comments: The world of Cattle Valley is a lovely little fantasy. It's not even bordering on realistic, but these books are a lot of fun; I just pick one up and know that for the next 180 pages or so, I'm going to have a goofy grin on my face.

Interesting stories and characters, an enjoyable read. I do have one beef with this series, along with many other gay romance novels I've read lately. Why are most of the couples in these books such opposites? Specifically, why is one guy big strong and masculine, and the other petite and pale and hairless? One masculine, one feminine. I feel like I'm reading a straight love story with the pronouns changed from "her" to "him". Kind of a big turn off for me. Most of the gay couples I know in real life, including my partner and me, are nothing like these couples. I want to read a love story between two men, not some straight author's idea of a "straight" gay love story.

Physical Therapy (Cattle Valley 5) by Carol Lynne With this one Carol Lynne manages to make me cry. Maybe in these days I'm particularly weak, maybe it's the hot night and they are not tears, but sweat drops... but well, while I'm writing this, my eyes are blurry and I continue to blow my nose... Matt was an army paramedic in Iraq. He saw a lot of things that no one should see, not one time, but day after day. His only friend and support was his fellow army buddy Danny. Danny was wonderful, handsome and nice and straight. But being Danny straight didn't prevent Matt to fall in love with him. But Danny died, in the only day Matt was not with him, and obviously Matt is torn with guilty. Now Matt is living in Cattle Valley, he is the town new physical therapist and he is living in the above garage apartment of the two town doctors and lovers, Isaac and Sam. Sam is 52 years old and a very quite man; he likes his works and likes his home; comfort and peace are radiating from him. Isaac is 47 years old and a bit of a bull; strong and always in motion, maybe he is too much for Sam. And here is the problem: Sam and Isaac are together since 25 years and Sam always wondered if he is enough a man for Isaac; not that he ever doubt Isaac's fidelity, but well, he has always tried to accomplish every desire of his man, even when it was against his mood or wish. And now here there is a 27 years old man, handsome and nice, and in dear need of help. Sam wants to help him, but at the same time he fears that, allowing Matt to enter their couple, he will lose Isaac. Well, I hope that you understand that I didn't cry for Sam's dilemma, but for Matt's journey to be able to move on his war trauma and the lost of his friend. Carol Lynne pushes all the right bottoms of emotion, the same bottoms that make you cry even if you are aware that you are reading a book, and that all you are reading is only fiction, but still you cry since you unfortunately know that what you read is not only fiction, but it happened and maybe is still happening somewhere in the world. And now, after my emotional breakdown, I also want to try to analyze another aspect of the book: why when I read of a threesome between two men and a woman I hardly like it, and when it involves three men it doesn't bother me? I'm fully aware that I have a prejudice, and I also believe that it's a feminist thing (please, male friends don't shoot me, here I'm admitting one of my weakness...): since in my culture, the woman gives birth and the woman is identified with family, when there is a woman in the threesome, it's obvious for me that she is the center of the threesome, and at least one of the two man, if not both, depending on her. So when there is love between the two men, I feel the woman like an intruder, since I'm always expecting that she will broke the male bond. In an all male threesome, without this strong female figure, they are all equals, and I think they can build something together without

I am completely hooked on Carol Lynne's soap opera like series Cattle Valley. One of the best things about the series is recurring characters and familiar faces. Every story introduced new people that may well get their own love story in the future, while also bringing back those that already had their HEA. That continues here with Volume III. VIII includes two additional novellas, "Physical Therapy" and "Out of the Shadow." Both are excellent stories with one noticeable similarity, they feature more mature characters (40+). This is welcome with so many gay romances being strictly young studs when more mature studs can be just as, if not more, appealing. Plus, they deserve HEAs too. Another less obvious similarity is a slight dark undercurrent to the stories. Physical Therapy Isaac Singer and Sam Browning are the resident doctors in Cattle Valley and have been together for twenty years. Then Matt enters the picture and shakes them up. Matt was introduced in "Sweet Topping" as Kyle's physical therapist. The story overlaps that one (and one scene here actually appeared in that story but from a different POV). The town already has a threesome with Nate, Rio and Ryan so Isaac and Sam accepting Matt into their relationship isn't unusual - except that Matt is about 25 years younger than they are, and suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder from a tour (what a horribly ironic word) in Iraq. The men have serious issues to iron out, but the path is realistic and the story tender. There is piping hot sex, as in all Cattle Valley stories, but the underlying story has a dark side. The war in Iraq is real and many vets (gay or straight) suffer along with their loved ones through it. Out of the Shadow Jeremy has had a crush on his Dad's best friend Shep for years. Shep feels the same but doesn't want to poach on a much younger "family" friend. The story opens with Jeremy working on the ranch after his Dad asks Shep to take him in. Shep is a retired bull rider. Only, there is a dark undercurrent going on in the father-son relationship - one that could break a friendship and ruin a budding love. Of course, in this romance series HEA is mandatory, but that didn't negate the serious side of Jeremy's problems with his father. Shep and Jeremy come together (more hot sex) but they are tested beforehand. Overall, two more excellent stories to give any M/M romance junkie a fix. I'm eagerly awaiting the next volume!